The Collect for the Twenty First Sunday after Trinity
Grant, we beseech You, Merciful Lord, to Your faithful people, Pardon and Peace, that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve You with a peaceful mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Epistle Ephesians 6:10-20
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13 Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
The Holy Gospel of St John 4:46-54
46 Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.
48 “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”
49 The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”
50 “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.”
The man took Jesus at his word and departed. 51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52 When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.”
53 Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed.
54 This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.
Bishop Ian’s Thoughts
Today’s Epistle Reading is taken from St Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians Chapter 6, Verses 10-20.
This portion of Scripture is one of the best known, and most beloved, passages in the Holy Bible.
In this passage St Paul reveals the equipment that the Lord Jesus has given to us to use in our battle with Satan, and his forces, which are active in the world, as well, as in the spiritual realm.
St Paul rallies us with a rousing exhortation:
“10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”
St Paul then urges us to understand that our battle with Satan is not in the physical realm only. He tells us plainly, with a solemn warning, that our battle will be fought on a physical and spiritual plane:
“12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
We are told that our enemies are not only human beings of “flesh and blood” but also the dark “spiritual forces of evil” that are operating not only on the earth but also in the unseen spiritual realm.
The Holy Bible speaks of spiritual beings created by God to serve Him. These Heavenly Beings are Angels, Cherubim, and Seraphim.
Before God created Adam and Eve there was a rebellion in Heaven and Satan and his followers (fallen angels) were cast out of Heaven by God, by the hand of the Archangel Michael (the leader of God’s Holy Angels).
The Non-Biblical, but most valuable, Book of Enoch (the great grandfather of Noah) describes the battle in which Satan was cast out of Heaven with 200 fallen angels (demons).
This host of evil was banished to the earth and have been allowed to exercise limited rule over this world until the Great Day of Judgement, at which time they, and all people who have rejected God and the Lord Jesus, will be sent to eternal damnation in what the Holy Bible calls the “Lake of Fire.”
Through the Holy Gospel, the Lord Jesus has already defeated Satan and his followers and we only wait for the full revelation of His Mighty Victory, on the Day of Judgement.
Satan and his demons operate on this earth at present, and they have infiltrated every facet of our society including governments, corporations, sporting and social organisations and especially the media.
It is through the media that Satan exercises strong influence via the deluge of immoral and pagan material that is broadcast to unsuspecting victims, from children to adults.
The many vile and filthy films that are created by Hollywood bear testimony to the hand of Satan in that industry.
The popular music industry actively promotes Satanic devotion with many songs and live performances laced with vulgarity and paganism. We only have to look at the elaborate costumes worn by today’s megastars to see the close resemblance to the dress and robes of pagan deities from ancient Egypt or the Greco-Roman era.
The revival of interest in the pagan gods, and culture of ancient Celtic and Norse traditions, clearly bears the mark of Satan, seeking to divert us from the true God and the Holy Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The modern fascination with tarot cards, séances, ouija-boards, vampires and zombies, again bear witness to the hand of Satan.
The great interest and devotion of many young, and not so young people, to the boy wizard Harry Potter, and his so-called magic, is a mark of Satan’s great influence over the author of the books, and the film makers.
In a like manner modern science has sought to hide the truth of God by fabricating false explanations for phenomena that we are able to see and experience every day..
It seems that every week we hear news reports of the discovery of some new planet or cosmic phenomena, that seeks to remove us further from the God who created all things.
Satan works to remove God from His creation and to divert us from any attempt to truly seek the One True God.
St Paul then further exhorts us as to how we should prepare for the coming battles:
“13 Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”
St Paul then describes the equipment that we will need to defeat Satan and his allies:
“14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
It is no wonder that St Paul uses the equipment of a Roman soldier to liken God’s provisions to us, for battle. In the first Century AD, there were no guns or artillery pieces and only the catapult, loaded with large stones or fire balls, was available as a fearsome weapon.
In that era battles were fought hand to hand, and the main kit of a soldier was his body armour, shield, and personal hand-held weapons.
St Paul’s allusion to a soldier, ready for battle, no doubt hearkens back to the words of the Prophet Isaiah, Chapter 59, Verses 15-20, in which he describes God preparing for battle against the enemies of His people:
"The Lord looked and was displeased
that there was no justice.
16 He saw that there was no one,
he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;
so his own arm achieved salvation for him,
and his own righteousness sustained him.
17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate,
and the helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments of vengeance
and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.
18 According to what they have done,
so will he repay wrath to his enemies
and retribution to his foes; he will repay the islands their due.
19 From the west, people will fear the name of the Lord,
and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory.
For he will come like a pent-up flood
that the breath of the Lord drives along.
20 “The Redeemer will come to Zion,
to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,
declares the Lord."
In this passage from the Book of Isaiah we see God arming Himself with the equipment that He Himself has produced, and will use to bring justice to His people and punishment to those who have oppressed them.
It is interesting to note that in the description of the Christian’s equipment to battle Satan and his army, all items, bar one, are of a defensive nature. The belt, the breastplate, the shoes, the shield and the helmet are all to protect us from the attack of the evil forces.
The one offensive weapon is the “sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.”
The Word of God, is the most powerful weapon in Heaven and earth.
In the third verse of the well known Christmas Carol “O Come all ye Faithful” we joyfully sing:
“Word of the Father now in Flesh Appearing”
The Lord Jesus Christ is the Living Incarnate Word of God.
The Lord Jesus used His Father’s Words, recorded in the Old Testament, to defeat Satan when He was tempted in the wilderness immediately after His Baptism:
4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.”
As previously stated, the Word of God, the most powerful weapon that exists, is readily available to us today and, coupled with prayer, it is able to sustain, protect, and guide us as we journey through this dark evil world.
St Paul closes our Epistle Reading by urging us to pray for all of God’s people:
“18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
We, who now live, have received the Revelation of the most Holy Truth of God, and His Blessed Son, and His Mighty Holy Spirit.
We now await the Glorious Return of our Lord Jesus to bring on the Great Judgement and the Establishment of His Everlasting Kingdom.
St Paul finishes by asking for the Ephesian’s prayers on his behalf, that his missionary work might be carried on even though he is in chains for his testimony to the Holy Gospel:
“19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”
It is important to note St Paul’s use of the word “mystery”, in connection with the Holy Gospel.
Our English word “mystery” means a puzzle, or something that is hidden.
The Greek word translated “mystery” denotes something that was hidden but has now been revealed to all.
The missionary work of St Paul would eventually lead him to Rome and to his death at the hands of the Roman Emperor Nero around 67 AD.
May God give us His Grace to always thank Him for the Gift of the Holy Gospel of the Lord Jesus, and may He bless us each day, guiding us through prayer, and protecting us through the use of His Holy Armour and by the wielding of His Holy Sword. Amen.
Today’s Holy Gospel Reading is taken from the Holy Gospel of St John, Chapter 4, Verses 46-54.
In this passage the Apostle John records the healing of the son of a Royal official.
St Paul begins with the Lord Jesus again visiting the city of Cana:
“46 Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine.”
At Cana the Lord Jesus was sought out by a man who is simply described as a “royal official:”
“And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum.”
We are not told who the official was but the designation “Royal” would indicate that he was a high official in the Jewish hierarchy, possibly a Sadducee (Jewish aristocracy), and was employed in the King’s service.
The official lived at Capernaum, and had travelled to meet the Lord Jesus to plead for his seriously ill son’s life. We are, again, not told how he had heard of the Lord Jesus’ power, however he may known of the miracle at the wedding in Cana when the Lord Jesus turned water into wine.
His knowledge of the Lord Jesus caused him to act swiftly to arrange a meeting:
“47 When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.”
When the official met the Lord Jesus and begged for the life of his son, “who was close to death,” the Lord Jesus’ answer seems a little surprising:
48 “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”
The Lord Jesus knew what was in the mind of the official and saw that the man’s faith was, at that stage, superficial and not true, trusting, faith. The official needed to see an outcome to reinforce his faith.
Despite the Lord Jesus’ original rebuff the man, a second time, begs for the life of his son and the Lord Jesus detected a change in the nature of his faith, and as St John records:
“49 The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”
50 “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.”
The official then demonstrated true faith, based on the Lord Jesus’ promise that his son would live, and he departed for his home fully expecting to find his son alive and well:
“The man took Jesus at his word and departed. “
St John concludes his account of the event:
“51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52 When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.”
53 Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed.
54 This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.”
The official was overjoyed that his son had recovered and that his true faith had been rewarded. On his way home he did not need to see a result as he trusted the Lord Jesus’ Word that his son would be well.
On hearing of his son’s recovery he ascertained the time of the healing and realised that it was the exact time that the Lord Jesus had promised that the boy would live.
The official finally realised that true faith did not depend on immediately observable outcome, but rather he knew that a positive outcome would be brought about in God’s time.
We are told “and he and his whole household believed” on the Lord Jesus. The true faith of one man led to the Salvation of his whole family, and his servants.
The essence of true Christian faith is that we believe and accept God’s Holy Word without the necessity to see the outcome immediately as if to instantly reinforce our faith. We accept that anything that the Lord Jesus has promised will come to pass at the time appointed by God.
May God give to us all the faith that believes without seeing, that rests on the sure knowledge that God will accomplish His promises when the time is right, and may we ever give God thanks for the Holy Gospel of the Lord Jesus. Amen.
Bishop Ian